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IBM owl spot runs afowl?

Published on January 14, 1997.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is investigating a new IBM Corp. spot from Ogilvy & Mather, New York, that an administrator says portrays an unsafe and possibly illegal act. The spot, which aired on the NFL conference finals broadcast Jan. 12, shows a young girl who rescues an injured owl and then turns to the Web for advice on how to nurse it back to health. But an administrator at the agency told Ad Age the girl appears to be violating federal law by holding a protected great horned owl in captivity. The owl's talons are so powerful that they could have hurt the girl if she tried to intervene, said the official, who wants IBM to stop airing the spot. IBM had no immediate comment.